Billing code 29876: Knee synovectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Report this service when a surgeon removes diseased synovial tissue arthroscopically from at least two compartments of the knee.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29876 in Ohio.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 29876 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments to remove abnormal or inflamed synovial tissue from two or more compartments. This may be performed for substantial synovitis affecting multiple areas of the joint. The procedure is typically done in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center; the operative report should identify the treated compartments and describe the synovectomy performed in each.
Choose this code for a major synovectomy involving multiple compartments, rather than a limited synovectomy confined to one compartment. Document the clinical indication, the extent and location of the synovial disease, and any other arthroscopic work. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is used for a bilateral procedure, paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
29876 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $592.17 |
How the 29876 rate is calculated
Each of 29876’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 29876
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 8.65Practice expense 7.99Malpractice 1.77
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29876
29876 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29876
Knee synovectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 29876
Knee synovectomy
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29876 without 50 · national facility
$614.91
Knee synovectomy
29876-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$922.37
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
29876 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
29876 vs 29875 vs 29870 vs 29877 vs 29880: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 29875Knee synovectomy
- Use 29875 for a limited synovectomy in one compartment; use 29876 when the major synovectomy involves at least two compartments.
- 29870Knee arthroscopy
- 29870 describes diagnostic knee arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. This code represents therapeutic removal of synovial tissue from multiple compartments.
- 29877Knee chondroplasty
- 29877 addresses arthroscopic debridement or shaving of knee joint structures, not a major synovectomy of multiple compartments.
- 29880Knee meniscectomy
- 29880 describes meniscectomy involving both the medial and lateral menisci. It may be reported with this code when the synovectomy is performed in a separate compartment.
29876 billing questions
How do I distinguish this from 29875?
This code describes a major synovectomy involving at least two knee compartments. Code 29875 is for a limited synovectomy in one compartment.
What documentation supports reporting the major synovectomy?
The operative report should describe the synovial disease, identify the compartments treated, and explain the work performed in those compartments.
Can this be reported with a meniscectomy?
A meniscectomy may be reported with it when the synovectomy is performed in a compartment separate from the meniscectomy. The operative report should make the separate locations and work clear.
What is the Medicare global period?
The service has a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How is a bilateral procedure reported?
Use modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure; CMS pays it at 150%.
Is an assistant surgeon paid for this procedure?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are also not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 29876 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →